A South San Francisco teacher charged with molesting four students during school hours had been previously warned by Westborough Middle School administrators to “not touch or put arms around students,” according to prosecutors.

The exact nature of the behavior displayed by Westborough teacher Joseph Toy that led to a warning by school administrators before any police investigation was not provided by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

“They felt he was being too touchy,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said, adding the interactions were not viewed by the school administrators as “criminal.”

Following the initial warning, the date of which was not disclosed by the district attorney’s office or by the South San Francisco School District, Westborough officials called police on April 25 to report Toy was engaging in “inappropriate interactions” with students, information that resulted in Toy’s arrest May 10.

Prosecutors said Toy was previously told by school administrators to not touch students “based on some complaints,” but did not specify when the warning was given. The school district did not respond to questions regarding the warning given to Toy.

Joseph Toy, 39, a middle school teacher in South San Francisco, has been charged with 47 counts, including 30 charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, stemming from allegations of inappropriately touching four boys ages 13 and 14.

Toy, 39, of San Bruno, was formally arraigned in court Monday and charged with 47 criminal counts, including 30 charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, stemming from allegations of inappropriately touching four boys ages 13 and 14, according to the district attorney’s office.

Toy, who taught at Westborough Middle School for about 13 years, remains in custody on $5.2 million bail and could face life in prison if convicted as charged, prosecutors said. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office released Toy’s booking mugshot Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege Toy sexually molested four male students over the course of 11 months, either on school grounds, in his classroom or in a hotel during a school trip to Disneyland in April.

Three of the victims were allegedly touched while they were 13 and 14, according to prosecutors. The fourth student was 14 when the alleged molestation occurred. Prosecutors say the improper touching included picking the boys up by their armpits, putting them on his lap and kissing them on the back of the neck and head. Toy is also accused of putting his hand underneath their shirts to touch their bare stomachs and chests.

One of the boys mentioned the behavior to a teacher, who notified school administrators, according to prosecutors. School officials called police April 25, who launched an investigation that same day.

“We followed our discipline policies when we first became aware that this individual violated our professional standards,” district spokesperson Ryan Sebers said in an email. “He was warned to stop breaching appropriate boundaries with student contact. He was disciplined to the full extent of our policies. If these allegations prove to be true, he violated our rules and our trust despite our early intervention and direct warnings.

On the home page of the school district’s website, Superintendent Shawnterra Moore addressed the arrest and wrote that Toy was placed on on administrative before criminal charges were filed.

“The teacher remains on administrative leave and will no longer be on any of our campuses pending the outcome of this case,” Moore wrote. “District and school leaders are cooperating closely with SSFPD officers as they continue their criminal investigation.”

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